Page 166 of Enchanted Kingdom
“Rude but not wrong,” I whispered.
Jane walked in the room. She was the other woman from Krew’s harem. She was a quiet person, and I didn’t dislike her, I just didn’t know her that well. Her yellow dress, which almost matched Molly’s in color, was gorgeous. Her skin tone was darker than Molly’s, so the color seemed to pop more on her.
She came toward us with a smile, opting for us and not the royal family.
I decided Jane was a smart woman. “Hi,” I greeted.
She let out a nervous breath. “Hi. Please tell me I was not the last to arrive.”
I smiled at her. “You were but just barely. I don’t think anyone else noticed.”
She let out a breath. “Thank goodness.”
Even people that didn’t have a valid reason to be nervous around our king were still nervous around him. And it wasn’t that shiny silver crown perched on his head either, it was wholly his dazzling personality.
“Let’s eat,” the king said loud enough for all of us to hear it. “I am eager to eat tonight as it has been a grueling day.”
Eager?I was sure he was. The master puppeteer about to get to work at whatever move he was orchestrating this time.
We all took our spots. Krew and Keir stood at their seats at the middle of each side of the table, each woman from their harems on either side of them. And across from the king, all the way down at the other end of the table, sat an empty seat where the queen should have been sitting.
I was positioned on the side of the table that faced the fireplace, so my eyes darted up to that portrait again. I didn’t know why, I just couldn’t take my eyes from it. The king looked so smug in it. The princes so young. And the queen? Tormented.
The king stood at his spot only slightly longer than necessary, forcing the rest of us to stand there also.
Finally, he sat, so the rest of us followed.
“Parliament will be in joint session shortly,” the king told Krew. “So I shall take your concerns about border safety to them and see what can be done.”
Krew gave him a nod like he was thankful for it.
“Will either of you be attending this session?” the king asked his sons.
“No,” Krew groaned.
Keir shook his head. “I may show up for a few hours on one of the days, but hopefully not.”
“Is parliament so boring?” Molly asked Krew gently.
He gave her a quick smile. “Yes. All they do is bicker.”
The king huffed a laugh. “Bicker and argue and get nothing accomplished.”
Which was probably the way he preferred it. I thought of Mr. Ellsworth. He didn’t seem like the not-getting-anything-done type. Maybe parliament wished for the royal family to not be there, which was why both brothers were staying away. Maybe without the crown, they could do more good. Granted from the little I knew of Wylan’s parliament, I knew it was a group of only thirty people, most from Savaryn. And though we had parliament, the king still had the final say on everything anyway.
As the salad and bread were brought in along with the king’s personal food tester, I had to fake a cough and cover my smile.
Maurice, jesting instigator that he was, had ordered the cinnamon dinner rolls made tonight. He had to have known I would be sitting here eating them.
I was going to give him a piece of my mind later.
“My favorite,” Keir murmured as he reached for one and gave me the barest of smiles.
Krew rolled his eyes from across the table, but smirked.
“They are a new recipe, are they not?” The king asked as he also took one and gave his tester a nod to begin testing the food and drink.
Krew’s eyes hit mine as he lowered his water glass. “I believe so.”
